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I own a lot of personal Motorola equipment, but still have one Harris XG-100P Unity handheld that was sold to me as a demo unit many years back now. Used, they are decent, but as others have stated, they are not very durable. Then there is the programming software, cable, and needing to have a dedicated computer for that software. Radio Program Manager is not like Motorola CPS, you can't just load it onto as many computers as you wish, each computer must be registered on the Harris server to be then used to program a Unity, or many other models included Harris radio. Better to buy something you can readily get programming software for, and is more popular and able to find parts to repair if it breaks. UHF Motorola radios, commercial or public safety grade is a very good way to go for GMRS use. I use an older XPR6550, but sometimes test XPR7550e radios work has given me to try out. Even HT-1250's do well, and at a lower cost than the XPR7550e, but higher cost than a Chinese made radio. I must admit to owning some Chinese radios for GMRS as well though, GM-30, Radioddity DB20-G, Anytone 878.

§ 95.1751 GMRS station identification. Each GMRS station must be identified by transmission of its FCC-assigned call sign at the end of transmissions and at periodic intervals during transmissions except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section. A unit number may be included after the call sign in the identification. ... (c) Any GMRS repeater station is not required to transmit station identification if: (1) It retransmits only communications from GMRS stations operating under authority of the individual license under which it operates; and, (2) The GMRS stations whose communications are retransmitted are properly identified in accordance with this section. "GMRS station" includes repeaters. But read subpart (c)(2). That seems to state that, as long as every user is operating under the license associated with that repeater, or every user on a repeater is ID'ing correctly, then the repeater itself does not have to ID.

The only thing in Part 95 regarding repeaters is the transmission must be identified and users be specifically authorized. I don't see any rule requiring the hardware broadcast an identifier.

You won't find Motorola Solutions (MSI) making or selling GMRS radios. They have licensed the production of cheap retail FRS and GMRS radios to an offshore manufacturer such as Giant. Those are crappy radios . You will need to buy a surplus public safety or business grade radio. I use Motorola Systems Sabers which happen to have the Part 95 certification. I easily tested 2 miles simplex, on foot with another radio inside my house. There are various Kenwood radios with Part 95 certification. Public safety Radios with Part 90 certification are generally equivalent in specs required by Part 95. Surplus radios are cheap and plentiful. But you will need software and a cable to program the channels. Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

Actually, I've only been at this for a couple of months, but the only (2) connections I've made at *all* in that time were on Channel 20 from folks who were driving past our city. They both called it "The travel channel", so I feel like this must be a fairly known thing...

A repeater transmits only when a signalis received on its input meeting the proper conditions, A repeater transmitter is no different than a handheld, mobile or base station none of which are required to transmit a periodic identification signal. What is required is the signal sent through, not by, the Part 95 repeater be identified by the signal originator. The point being is the rules are predicated on an operator originating a transmssion. The real issue with the rules and their interpretation is the rules are written with the assumption there is a physical operator (person) operating a station when it transmits. Automated stations do not have a physical operator to initiate a transmission so therefore, under a strict interpretation of the Part 95 rules a repeater does not have to initiate a transmission for identification but, in order to cover all situations, an identifier transmission is a prudent operational necessity. This goes back to the requirement that repeater users are both authorized and follow the rules for identification.

My suggestion is to study the FCC statement carefully and make your own decision because around here you'll get conflicting views. I cite this thread for example, where I questioned the need for an auto ID but was quickly told that you absolutely have to have one; BTW, when I get a repeater up and running I am not putting an ID on it. I will however make the repeater private and not hand out any PL tones until the person wanting to use it submits a form that reiterates that he or she comply by all FCC rules including the proper call sign usage. This isn't a firewall by any sense because anyone with a tone scanner can figure it out and secondly, anyone can submit bogus information on my request form. At the minimum it shows that I have made the effort to control who access the repeater.

through the door opening. Not ideal. But with a manual transmission on the JL, I don't have the hole in the firewall to come through. The auto transmissions do. I'll try and get a pic sometime of it. I'm going out of town for 10 days, so it may be a bit.

It isn't reinventing the wheel when the wheel doesn't exist in practical use to begin with. Nobody is using 20. And I never said anyone was using 19. I just said I think it has a better chance because it is logical. Someone brand new to GMRS would be more likely to first try 19 for a travel channel than 20. I wish I had as much influence as you all seem to think I have. But someone else here just might. So you ought to be trying to convince him, rather than me.

Bad advice. Absolutely do use 462.xxx0 MHz simplex with all 50W. Simplex users are entitled to use these frequencies. Repeater outputs are too entitled to use these frequencies. Use good operating practices to avoid interference. Now, simplex on 467.xxx0 MHz is a big "f- you" to the repeater, because these are repeater input frequencies. Operating simplex on repeater input messes up repeater for everybody else who might use it at this moment. This is why simplex on 467.xxx0 MHz is not allowed by FCC (not to be confused with 467.xxx5 MHz).

I’ll leave that as an exercise for the student to figure out the system gain as they instructor used to say.